Arbitrary Justice

The Power of the American Prosecutor

Angela J. Davis

Hardcover Performance: Winner of the 2007 PSP Award for Excellence, Law & Legal Studies from the Association of American Publishers

Author Platform: Davis served for twelve years as a public defender in Washington, D.C. before becoming a law professor. She has appeared on various TV and radio programs, penned op-eds for the Washington Post, and is often invited to speak to national legal organizations on prosecutors and minorities in the criminal justice system " Author Platform: Davis served for twelve years as a public defender in Washington, D.C. before becoming a law professor. She has appeared on various TV and radio programs, penned op-eds for the Washington Post, and is often invited to speak to national legal organizations on prosecutors and minorities in the criminal justice system

Arbitrary Justice

The Power of the American Prosecutor

Angela J. Davis

Description

What happens when public prosecutors, the most powerful officials in the criminal justice system, seek convictions instead of justice? Why are cases involving well-to-do victims often prosecuted more vigorously than those involving poor victims? Why do wealthy defendants frequently enjoy more lenient plea bargains than the disadvantaged? In this eye-opening work, Angela J. Davis shines a much-needed light on the power of American prosecutors, revealing how the day-to-day practice of even the most well-intentioned prosecutors can result in unequal treatment of defendants and victims. Ranging from mandatory minimum sentencing laws that enhance prosecutorial control over the outcome of cases, to the increasing politicization of the office, Davis uses powerful stories of individuals caught in the system to demonstrate how the perfectly legal exercise of prosecutorial discretion can result in gross inequities in criminal justice. For the paperback edition, Davis provides a new Afterword which covers such recent incidents of prosecutorial abuse as the Jena Six case, the Duke lacrosse case, the Department of Justice firings, and more.

Arbitrary Justice

The Power of the American Prosecutor

Angela J. Davis

Table of Contents

1. Prosecutorial Discretion: Power and Privilege2. The Power to Charge3. Let's Make a Deal: The Power of the Plea Bargain4. Prosecutor and the Victims of Crime5. Prosecutor and the Dealth Penalty6. Federal Prosecutors and the power of the Attorney General7. Prosecutorial Misconduct: the Abuse of Power and Discretion8. Prosecutorial Ethnics9. Prosecutorial Responsibility10. Prospects for ReformAfterwordNotes

Arbitrary Justice

The Power of the American Prosecutor

Angela J. Davis

Author Information

Angela J. Davis is Professor of Law at American University Washington College of Law. Prior to becoming a law professor, she was a public defender at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia for twelve years. She has appeared on various TV and radio programs, written op-eds for the Washington Post, and is often invited to speak to national legal organizations.

Arbitrary Justice

The Power of the American Prosecutor

Angela J. Davis

Reviews and Awards

Winner of the 2007 PSP Award for Excellence, Law & Legal Studies from the Association of American Publishers